March 10, 2014

350.org Volunteer Amongst Three Women Taken in Ukraine by Men in Unmarked Military Uniforms

UPDATE: According to information received on March 12, Kateryna, alongside the rest of the group who went missing, have been released and are on their way back to Kiev.

Three women are missing after being detained in the Crimean border city of Armiansk, Ukraine

Ukraine — A 350.org volunteer organizer, Kateryna Butko, is missing along with two other women after the three were detained by men in unmarked military uniforms in the the city of Armiansk, Ukraine yesterday.

“We are very concerned about Kateryna’s safety and doing our best to get more information about the situation,” said Hoda Baraka, 350.org Global Communications Manager.

Ms. Butko is a member of the Ukrainian Youth Climate Association and has played a leading role in many local climate projects, including taking part in the recent Global Power Shift campaign, an effort initiated by 350.org that trains and supports young climate activists around the world.

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Kateryna Butko at Power Shift Central and Eastern Europe in Warsaw, Poland, Nov 2013.

Ms. Butko was detained and taken to an unknown location on Sunday, March 9 with another young activist from the social organization Automaidan, Olexandra Ryazantseva, and a journalist with the  weekly magazine “Ukrayinsky Tyzhden” (“Ukrainian Week”).

350.org will continue to stay in contact with our Ukrainian staff member, Yuliya Makliuk, and other activists on the ground in Ukraine to try and get more information about the young women’s whereabouts and situation.

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